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Real India ain’t poor India

This is a topic every proud Indian has an opinion on. Every now and then, you see this fucked up stereotype coming up via ‘foreigners’ that real india is poor india. What recently pissed me off was that some of us too second this thought.

There is this television series on travel and living, previously on discovery- 1000 places to see before you die- it featured Delhi in one of its episodes, ofcourse with the Taj Mahal and all, as the tourists have no idea about the place they visit, so a local guide usually leads the way, so, we have this Indian guide who god knows for what reason takes them through this slum dwelling and actually describes it as “this is poor india, real india”, i mean what the fuck!!

It pisses me off, coz they have no clue about the urban developed side of India, and the fact that we are developed now seems factual to them and hence mythical at times. In the same episode, the female tourist meets a couple of teenage girls,dressed in an Indian attire, and interacts with them, when explained that jeans and t-shirts are common amongst the youth, it comes as a shock to her.

I mean you go to any metro is India, your bound to find tradition there, its not like we’re so urbanized that you don’t find Indian attire there. I mean agreed one also shows the heritage of India and the natural beauty and the culture and all, but when asked what do you take from India, the most common response surrounds the rawness, the exuberance, adjective, adjective, but then its more like a sympathetic approach, like try the different downtown poor life, its an experience to cherish. Traditionally, our lifestyle is the richest, and its sheer royale is still present, the ‘shaahi’ life is much more lavish than the westernized comfortable life, but very rarely people talk about or promote that. I mean you see ‘American shows’ and you see their History shouting out in Hotels, Spas, etc. For more so than not, that becomes the image of the place, and it gets stamped on the mind. To most of the masses. when people hear about America, its about New York, and the economical power and the lifestyle and all that jazz. The heritage or tradition as such is zilch, yet New York seems to be one of the buzzing places to be around.

We are all that and much more, its the sheer diversity, the quality of life, the conscience, the flavour, much more!!